Police this afternoon appealed for witnesses after three distraction burglaries in Oxfordshire.

At about 8.45am on Friday, a man knocked on the door of an elderly woman’s home off Marlborough Place in Eynsham, claiming he had come to bleed the water tanks. The woman went to call a family member to check if the man was genuine and the offender prevented her from doing so. She then saw another man at the front door and told both of them to get out. When they had left she noticed draws in her living room were open but nothing was stolen.

At around 10.30am on Friday, a man opened the back door of an address in St Thomas Road in Deddington, claiming to be fitting pipes to the house next door. He told the woman, aged in her eighties, to turn on all the taps. Another man arrived and said he had to go and check upstairs, telling the woman he needed to get into a locked cabinet. When the men left, the victim noticed an antique pistol, First World War medals and £60 in cash had been stolen.

At about 1pm on Saturday, a man knocked on the door of an elderly woman’s home in Newton Way, Benson claiming to be from an electricity company. He said she had been overcharged and that he was there to refund her some money but only had £250 in cash. The woman went to her bedroom to get some money and when she returned the offender told her steam was coming from her kettle and that she should go and check it. When the man had left, the victim noticed about £400 had been stolen.

Det Con Jane May said: “We are keeping an open mind as to whether these incidents are linked. I appeal to anyone who saw two white men, in either, Eynsham, Benson or Deddington, on Friday or Saturday acting suspiciously to contact police immediately.

“In all of the incidents the men have targeted elderly, vulnerable victims and I urge the community to be alert and look out for your elderly neighbourhoods.